Liquor-serving restaurants and off-shops are already feeling the pinch. “We are just about managing to meet the demand. But since our stocks are depleted, even a marginal surge in sales could lead to a crisis.

Amid pressure from some states, the GST Council will soon start publishing rates of various products to prod companies to pass on gains, including those from input tax credit. States such as Kerala, West Bengal and Bihar argued that prices have not come down after GST.